During our attempts at getting Birth of Venus picked up by a publisher at the San Diego Comic Con, we were told by a nameless D-bag that our comic would NEVER sell because it simply wasn’t sexy enough. Our initial cover (see below) brought Mara’s (upcoming) baby bump front and center and, as Mr. D-Bag explained, this was no good because nobody is going to want a piece of that.
He then explained how his tactic has brought him great success on his book (which, to keep him anonymous, we will just call) “Team Awesome”, which was basically a Charlie’s Angels/Fox Force Five/Danger Girl rip-off. The secret, he explained, was all subliminal as the title itself was suggesting some good ‘ol T & A. (T = Team, A = Awesome. Get it?)
After this delightful conversation with Mr. D-Bag, we took another look at our comic through his (and several different publisher’s) eyes and decided to make some alterations to our first issue. We realized that the cover DID need to go, but not because it wasn’t hot enough, just perhaps not as accessible to a broader range of readers.
Another personal reaction I had to this conversation was to try and defy that sentiment that a pregnant woman can’t be sexy. I for one have seen the glow of an expectant mother and there is nothing quite so beautiful, for several different reasons. My goal was to make Mara as “conservatively sexy” as possible throughout the entirety of our story without getting into overt T & A territory. What that means is that I don’t mind showing a flash of panties or exposed cleavage, but only when fitting to the moment within the story. (I would say “only when necessary” but when is a peak at a gal’s derriere TRULY needed for story?) The style of cheesecake art, or Good Girl Art, that I find most appealing are when the outfits and setting themselves don’t necessarily play as sexy, but the female depicted (usually by accidental circumstances) flashes more than she ever intended to. Hopefully you will find my conservative sexiness in BoV most like that, playing it for laughs (like in Panel 4 here) but also showing the reality of that situation carried to it’s logical conclusion…
Or perhaps I’m just as delusional as Mr. D-Bag. You decide.
JLD
Greetings! Thanks for climbing back in the HOT SEAT here with us at BoV as Mara decides that she has no choice but to swing into full-on hero mode since the Rebirth is now rampaging the streets of Vanguard. This page is short and sweet but full of FIRE! FIRE!
*NOTE: Our little flame manipulating character there doesn’t really have a name. We’ve called him Meltdown, Hot-Box and several other names that just never quite stuck, but since it doesn’t ever get mentioned we’ll just keep calling him “Fire Dude”. Of course, we are open to suggestions and we will officially name him if one of you lucky readers can come up with a fairly good one. The challenge is up to you…
FLAME ON!!!
JLD
Hey All–
For those who met up with us last year at the awesomeness that is Wonder Con in Anaheim, California we had a great time meeting y’all and had hoped to get a table again this year. Sadly, things didn’t shake down quite the way we had planned and we just couldn’t justify getting the table this time. We WILL be there milling about, so if you see anybody with a Birth of Venus tee-shirt on, please feel free to come up to us and tell us how much you love/hate our web-comic! We’d gladly welcome the dialogue…
Today’s page is brought to you by the new Dark Knight Returns 2-part animated movie, which helped me plow through the coloring on this page.
Seriously, that flick is AMAZING!!!
JLD
There it is, folks– Yeah, I’m saying that OUR brand of violence is art. A bold move, I know. And right now it might be a bit hard to see it, but this DOES serve a purpose to the grander design of the story. Do we take it a bit too far? Possibly, but then so does Guardian… which is kinda sorta the point.
This page is dedicated to Brad Bird whose insightful sequence in The Incredibles thoroughly explains why designing superhero outfits with capes is a bad idea. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about then shame on you!) We took things a step further here, showing why flamboyant hairstyles should also probably be kept off the design sheets. 90′s Comics, we’re looking at you!
JLD

